Wellness Tip:

Something Wellness

Smell and memory are closely connected, so why not put that connection to work? Try pairing a particular scent with a habit you want to make more automatic. Perhaps lighting the same candle when you meditate, using a particular essential oil when you stretch, or brewing the same herbal tea before bed.

There’s some science behind the idea: research shows that scents can become powerful contextual cues, helping us recall what we learned or experienced when we encountered that same smell.

This week, why not pick one habit and give it a signature scent? It might become a trigger that makes those healthy habits easier to remember.

Routine Breakdown

Dr Rana Al-Falaki, Leadership Coach, Author & Specialist Periodontist

A Doctor’s Routine of Visualization, Tea, and Dancing

Dr Rana Al-Falaki is an award-winning leadership coach, author, speaker, and Specialist Periodontist who helps people achieve high performance without sacrificing their wellbeing. Her own mornings combine visualization, gratitude, movement, and a few habits you might not have tried before.

The Routine:

• Morning visualization meditation. “When you’re just waking up and your brain waves are in theta state, so you tap into your subconscious. I spend the time visualizing my dream life, of all the things that I want, then I let go of those things and just hold onto that feeling.”
• Gratitude journal (2 pages). “Gratitude manifestation should be more about engaging in the feeling, so I will write free flow without reading back on what I’ve written.”
• Brush teeth standing on one leg and closing eyes. “Something healthy to engage your core and improve your balance, improve your coordination, and your longevity while improving your oral health at the same time.”
• Tea, her must-have. “I still love a good cup of English breakfast tea. The highlight of my morning is always a wonderful hot cup of tea that I savor along with mindfulness practice, being completely in the moment, aware of the smell, the taste, and the texture of every sip.”
• Workout. “My warmup is putting on fun dance-style music that I can sing along to, and I literally dance around jumping up and down.” As she moves, she visualizes what she wants and uses the practice to get into a positive mindset. “The benefit of this is that as you raise your vibration, combined with visualization and what you want it can really clear you for manifestation. I also feel amazing and it’s so much fun, and then I’ll go on to do strength work which is brilliant for core, muscle, bone, metabolism and general health.”

Why it works:

• There is some science behind visualization: research suggests that mentally picturing desired outcomes can encourage goal-directed behavior, particularly when you also imagine the steps needed to make them happen.
• Making space for gratitude can help shift your focus towards the positives and boost your mood.
• Good balance becomes increasingly important as we age, and research has even linked standing on one leg for 10 seconds with longevity. It doesn’t prove that balancing helps you live longer, but better balance can help reduce your risk of falls.
• Good news for black tea lovers: you don’t necessarily need to switch to green. Research has linked tea drinking with cardiovascular and longevity benefits.
• Starting a workout with music and dancing gets the body moving and can give your mood a boost.

The takeaway? Build a morning routine that makes you feel good enough to actually want to get out of bed for it.